New aortic valve

[PhilGarner]

Had new valve a week last Sunday. Walked a mile today plus doing my exercise routine. How long can I expect the tightness across my chest to continue?

[Fredders]

Hi Phil

Glad to hear your op went well. It will take a while for your chest to recover - just remember what it's been through! I had my AVR done at the beginning of November and I was getting chest pains in various areas for about six weeks, but they did get less in terms of the level of pain. I found taking my painkillers before I went to bed helped in getting to sleep. Initially I also had to take painkillers in the morning too, until I was up and moving about, but only had to take them during the day if it was particularly painful.

Hope your recovery continues to go well, must admit I didn't do as much walking as I should due to an irritating cough which was aggravated by the cold weather, so I chickened out and stayed indoors. Back at work in 10 days so will get plenty of exercise then.

Wendy

[PhilGarner in reply to Fredders]

Thanks for that. It’s useful to hear other people’s experiences. I am taking painkillers every 4 hours. I exercise plus have started extending my walking. My chest is very tight but hearing about your experience makes me feel better. Thank you.

[Hidden]

Hi Phil - is this tightness across your chest more like angina or a physical/healing issue?

If it's angina you'd need to see your GP so they can tweak your medications, as you shouldn't be getting this on a regular basis.

If it's that your breastbone is feeling tight then often that's because of posture. People tend to hunch over when they have pain, especially in their chest, so it might be that you've been doing this without realising. The problem with this is that sometimes your bone will heal this way and affect your posture in the long term, so it might be worth considering some physiotherapy to make sure you're expanding your chest properly and keeping your shoulders back in a natural position.

I hope this helps,

Chris

[PhilGarner in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for that. You could be right as I think it is the breast bone. I will try and be more aware of my posture.

[Johnnyb10]

Hi Phil I had Aortic valve replacement surgery in Aug 2016 and by Oct 2016 I was back running 3 times a week. You can have pain for a little while and numbness as sternum has to heal and some of the nerves will be put via surgery. It does get better though and within months will be back to full capacity John

[PhilGarner in reply to Johnnyb10]

Thanks for the encouragement, it really helps.

[MKB38]

I'm sure it will vary from person to person, but I'm 9 weeks post op. I gradually reduced the paracetamol to 2 a day at about 6 weeks post op, and stopped taking them altogether at 8 weeks. I still get twinges in the sternum area if I stretch too far, and I'm still not lifting anything heavy. I'm walking 2 miles a day now, weather permitting, and doing a few stretching exercises. I still feel discomfort in my lungs if I take a really deep breath. I'm starting cardiac rehabilitation next month. Hope this gives you an idea. Good luck. Margaret